NYAPRS Note: The following comes from Caren Howard, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at Mental Health America, urging our action to support Medicare reimbursement for fidelity level peer support. Please take the actions below by September 11 to urge CMS to
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work with SAMHSA and review peer support specialist competencies and the content recommendations for training in the National Model Standards for Peer Certification training to only include activities that are within the scope of peer support specialists.
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significantly revise this section and create a distinct code for mental health and substance use education and engagement services that better reflects the core competencies and current training for peer support specialists.
Thank you!
Alert: Urge CMS to Approve Medicare Reimbursement for ‘True’ Peer Support by September 11!
This year’s proposed Medicare Fee Schedule rule expands telehealth services and newly reimburses marriage and family therapists, and mental health and addiction counselors. The rule also creates a new navigation service and specifically mentions peer support specialists as one of the providers of this new service. These proposals bring us closer to a Medicare program that meets the behavioral health needs of beneficiaries. However, there are significant differences between the activities CMS plans to reimburse peer specialists for doing and the activities peer specialists do as aligned with the core competencies. The new crisis services should also be modified to include the work of peer specialists.
CALL TO ACTION: Please submit comments supporting the additional services and asking to better reimburse peer support. Comments are due before Monday, 9/11 at 5:00 pm and we need to get as many comments into CMS as possible.
Please consider the following actions:
1) Get approval for your organization to submit the attached organizational template comments to Medicare on your letterhead. Customize the letter by adding a few sentences about your organization mission and how peer support specialists are serving the community. Feel free to add add to the letter about telehealth, other providers, and additional issues, or just submit the attached as is. Submit through this link (under submit a formal comment on the top right).
2) Ask all peers, colleagues, and supporters in your network to submit individual comments to Medicare through Mental Health America’s advocacy portal. They may customize their message to Medicare by sharing their thoughts about how peer specialists can be better incorporated into clinical settings and what challenges have arisen in working with clinical staff in the past. Submit through this link.
3) Post on social media. You may use the following language to encourage followers to submit comments:
– If you think the Medicare program should increase access to behavioral health services, including peer support, please take action and send a letter to the federal government now. [Link.]
-Want to take action to influence federal Medicare policy? Send a letter using our template and support increased payment and new mental health and addiction providers and services. [Link.]
Thank you for helping us reach our goal of generating hundreds of comments on the Physician Fee Schedule in the next two weeks. We appreciate your partnership and are happy to be available to answer questions.
Warmly,
Caren
P.S. For more about federal peer support policies generally read an issue brief. To receive future action alerts from MHA please join our Advocacy Network.